Ukraine was rocked this Monday after a chemical plant situated in the eastern part of the country exploded. The now destroyed plant is just outside the rebel stronghold of Donetsk and it appears that no casualties or damage to the surrounding area have been reported. The good news is sadly overshadowed by a recent shelling conducted by the Ukrainian military that killed two people in the city. Rebel official Eduard Basurin states that at least seven people were killed this Sunday adding to the number of casualties. Donetsk is located in the middle of Ukraine and being an industrial city, the aftermath of such explosions is even more dangerous.
The conflict between the separatists and the Ukraine government has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and forced more than one million people out of their homes. The separatists are aided by the Russian government and while Russia has denied involvement when it came to supplying the rebels with military equipment, the United States begs to differ. Military experts consider that the amount of new military equipment can’t be overlooked. Donetsk News Agency reports that the chemical plant threat has been contained and it does not pose a danger anymore,
Andriy Lysenko, a Ukrainian military spokesman reports that 1,500 Russian troops had crossed the border of Ukraine through several separatist-controlled border posts this weekend. This comes before the Wednesday summit between the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine with the purpose of re-establishing the peace plan for eastern Ukraine. How fruitful will this gathering be? Hopes of a fresh agreement are low as German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer points out : “It’s not about developing new parameters but about doing the obvious, which is achieving an end to the direct fighting”. Several European Union foreign ministers are looking forward to fresh diplomatic efforts and even refused the help of some U.S politicians who wished to provide Ukraine with heavy weapons. What will come of Ukraine is up in the air and more details will surface this Monday.